Firing bullets and building car engines may not be common hobbies for your average footballer, but Wolves star Marcus Hahnemann is happy to be different.

And so long as his performances continue to impress on the pitch, it is unlikely that Mick McCarthy is likely to have too many concerns as to what his American goalkeeper gets up to off it.

Since signing on a free transfer from Reading last summer, the 37-year-old has supplanted Wolves academy graduate and Wales international Wayne Hennessey in the number one spot and is clearly enjoying his return to the Barclays English Premier League.

He is now firmly a fans’ favourite and may have to postpone initial plans to end his playing days in his native country.

He said: “I’m having a great time at the moment. Everything is falling into place, my kids are happy, my wife is happy.

“I want to play for a couple more years, maybe more, but that depends on a lot of things. Kasey (Keller) went back to Seattle and they’re getting 30,000 season ticket holders every game and that is something I dreamed about when I was playing for them, crowds like that.”

Hahnemann has an extensive gun collection back in the United States which he describes as “a blast” to fire, but it is his love for cars that takes priority whilst in England due to its greater social acceptance.

He studied engineering at Seattle Pacific University in his younger years and now loves to fix cars instead of buying new ones as some of his team-mates may do.

However, his passion for the motor world is not reflected in the way he travels to training. Instead, he travels on his Titus El Guapo – his mountain bike.

Since his own move to Wolves, Hahnemann, who also lists Fulham, Rochdale and Colorado as former clubs, has been doing his best to combat global warming – by riding a bike to training.

He said: “It’s my penance for driving all those gas guzzlers over the years…I can finally feel good about myself and I’m starting to feel very ‘green’. But this way I don’t feel so bad when I drive my truck, and I’m saving tons of money. It only takes me 25 minutes to get in and I enjoy being on the bike, it keeps the weight off.”

The Seattle-born stopper started out in his homeland and made over 60 appearances for the Seattle Sounders before chancing his luck in English football.

During the American off-season, Hahnemann had numerous trials with Aston Villa, West Ham and Sheffield Wednesday before landing a deal at Fulham under then manager Paul Bracewell.

Frustrating times ensued as the American played third choice to new signing Edwin van der Sar and Maik Taylor at Craven Cottage.

When Jean Tigana took over the managerial reigns, Hahnemann made the trip west to Reading. After spending seven years with the Berkshire club, Hahnemann moved to pastures new with Wolves on a free transfer

Despite making his international debut 15 years ago, Hahnemann has had a lack of action for his national team, but impressive performances for Wolves meant the American was called into the squad for the friendly against Holland at the start of March. However, after travelling to Amsterdam, he did not make the bench.

But you get the feeling that if his form continues, a June trip to South Africa could yet beckon, although for now, Hahnemann is seemingly happy to simply prolong his swansong in the English game.

FOOTBALLER’S STRIFE:

Being consistently overlooked for the starting USA XI due to Tim Howard, Brad Friedel, Brad Guzan and Kasey Keller over the years.

FOOTBALLER’S WIFE:

The American is married to Amanda and they have two children.

FOOTBALLER’S DRIVE:

Hahnemann is a keen motorcyclist, however, his clubs are reluctant to let him ride one for fear of injury. Instead, the American prefers to build his own cars. He said: “Almost all footballers like nice, expensive cars, but most of them tend to buy the model they want. Me, I’d rather just build my own! I absolutely love working on cars.”

ONE TO REMEMBER:

Making his international debut back in 1994 must rank pretty highly on his list of footballing accomplishments.

ONE TO FORGET:

In September 2007 the American conceded seven goals in a 7-4 defeat to Portsmouth..

As well as being Wolves' number one, Hahnemann is also on the PFA's management committee.

Goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann has joined other Premier League players and managers in creating their own self-portraits. They are set to be included in a book titled The Art of Football that will be auctioned off for charity.

A top graphologist analysed Hahnemann’s picture: “Unusual picture – it’s the only one that shows another activity. The large amount of ink on the page suggests sensuality and there’s also tall capital letter so he’s a bit of a showman.”

Other footballers that have had a go include Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, Theo Walcott and Didier Drogba. Click here to view the portrait gallery in full.